If you are a first time visitor, plan to arrive at either airport no later that mid to late afternoon especially if you planning on renting a car. Most of the main roads on the island are, for the most part, unlighted and without guard rails. The road can be dark and dangerous for those who are unaccustomed to unlighted highways. Arriving during day will allow for added visibility along what can be a long and poorly lit roadway. Navigating the Big Island driving is simple quite easy with minimal intersections, little traffic or no congestion.
Driving distance between Hilo and Kona can range from a quick no-nonsense two hours to a leisurely 3-4 hours pace that would include beautiful vistas, stops at numerous cultural sights and natural scenic points of interest and perhaps lunch at a secret local spot or a elegant beachfront resort.
The small town of Hilo is quite different from Kona. Hilo located on the windward side of the island where almost constant rain guarantees a lush and dense tropical landscape with rainforests, streams and waterfalls from Hilo town and all the way north along the Hamakua Coast. Hilo is a delightful historic town that has an exceptional tsunami museum, an astronomy center, university and a charming bay front location with splendid views of the Pacific Ocean and amazing views of snow capped Mauna Loa during the winter months. The area is filled with narrow streets, unique shops and boutiques, island style plantation cottages complete with metal roofs and lawns that typically include ohia lehua melemele, awapuhi and ti plants in a myriad of colors.
Kona on the other hand is quite different. The Kona side has been quite popular over the years with land developers because of the inexpensive lava field acreage and sunny weather. Today, the Kona Coast and neighboring Kohala Coast to the north have some of the largest and most spectacular resorts and golf courses in the state if not the world. Kona is originally a small fishing village and today fishing is still a large part of the area. It is a unique spot with lots of charm and where you can find funky shops that sit side by side with historical sights, surf spots and vacation condos, Kona offers a sea side setting with a few beaches and an abundance of rocky coastline. Hotels grace the coastline in Kona and homes are perched high above the coastline along Hualalai which is the lesser known of the islands active volcanoes.
The Big Island plays a large part in the history of the Hawaiian Islands. This is the island where the Hawaiians first arrived on double hulled canoes and navigated across the vast Pacific Ocean from the Marquesas using ancient means of celestial navigation. It is the island where foreigners first made contact with the ancient Hawaiians and where the first foreigner died on Hawaiian soil. It is the island where the push for the unification of the island chain was conceived and where the Hawaiian monarchy began with the birth of King Kamehameha the Great.
Culturally, the Big Island has a profusion of war and sacrificial temples, petroglyphs, cultural site. There are many places of interest where stories tell of kings and warriors, ghosts and demi-gods tell the rick history of the kanaka maoli or ancient Hawaiians. The Big Island is the legendary home of Pele the tricky and jealous fire goddess of Kilauea and her rival sister Poliahu, the bad tempered snow goddess of Mauna Kea.
For those who need help with deciding where tog go and what to see on the Big Island, simply download an iPhone travel app or and Andriod travel app. These apps do much to assist in discovering the Big Island. A visit to the Big Island requires more time than the other islands. The vast distances one must drive to sightsee, swim, hike and other activities require it. It’s not the island to do quickly, it’s simply too big and too beautiful.
Lottie Tagupa is a native Hawaiian, born and raised on the island of Oahu. She has been writing about Hawaii for over 10 years and currently lives in Waimea on the Big Island
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